The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has ruled that the Election Commission (EC) will decide whether BNP leader Ishraque Hossain should be sworn in as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), following a prolonged legal and political dispute stemming from the 2020 mayoral election.
The observation came on Thursday from a full bench of seven justices, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, as the court disposed of a petition related to the matter.
Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon appeared for Ishraque, while Advocate Mohammad Hossain represented the petitioner.
The controversy dates back to the DSCC election on 1 February 2020, when Awami League candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was declared the winner.
Ishraque, contesting the result, alleged irregularities. On 27 March 2024, the Dhaka Election Tribunal, presided over by Judge Md Nurul Islam, overturned Taposh’s win and declared Ishraque the validly elected mayor.
Following the verdict, the EC sought legal advice from the Ministry of Law on 22 April and subsequently published a gazette on 27 April recognising Ishraque as the new mayor.
However, the same day, two Dhaka residents issued legal notices challenging both the tribunal’s verdict and the gazette, urging the EC not to administer the oath. The EC went ahead with the gazette publication later that night.